Oil Tanker Fire
Chiemelie Ezeobi who visited the scene of the tanker fire that killed 15 people and razed over 50 shops in Lagos on Tuesday, writes that it was a new year gone bad for the victims
It is no gainsaying that people often approach a new year with hopes and aspirations of better things to come and it was no different for the residents and traders that dot the stretch of road that makes up the Berger Suya area in Lagos.
But the next day, their world as they knew it had changed. A midnight fire that raged till the next day had burnt their shops, destroyed their wares, left many injured and killed 15 persons.
Venturing into the street which is just off the Berger Cement Bus-stop, with connection to a series of popular areas including Wilmer, Mobil Road, boundary and Ajegunle, one thing that strikes your mind is the density of the area.
With crowded houses built with little or no space, to the narrow road that can take just about two cars at a time, it was surely not a place for the sane.
However, the usual bustle and commercial activities that often characterise that area was missing on Wednesday when THISDAY visited the Berger Suya Bus-Stop.
The residents and traders alike were still reeling from the aftermath of a Tuesday late night fire that engulfed about six buildings housing over 60 shops including banks and offices.
The fire which started at about 11pm on Tuesday was caused by a fuel tanker laden with 33,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), and was finally put off at about 1am on Wednesday by a deluge of fire servicemen and rescue operators.
According to eyewitness report, the tanker had somersaulted while trying to avoid the huge craters at that particular stretch of road and then exploded from the impact of the crash.
All attempts by the combined team of fire fighters from the Federal and State Fire Service, Capital Oil, Julius Berger Construction Company and Swift Oil, to limit the concentration of the inferno proved abortive as it spread rapidly, engulfing over 50 shops including banks, shops and residential buildings.
Asides the buildings that were razed down, the fire also burnt over 20 cars as well as goods and properties running into millions of naira.
Whilst attempts were on to put off the fire, THISDAY gathered that emergency rescue operators also put up a valiant effort to rescue persons who were trapped in the buildings in the path of the fire.
Although they successfully rescued about six persons from the raging fire, however, no fewer than 15 persons were brought out dead and have since been deposited at the Yaba General Hospital by the police.
The rescue workers had after hours of excavating brought out nine badly burnt persons but as at press time, six other persons were found inside the burnt tanker as it was about to be towed away, increasing the death rate to 15.
Confirming the incident, the Public Relations Officer, National Emergency Management Agency, South West Zone, Ibrahim Farinloye, said the dead were deposited at the hospital while the injured were given first aid treatment before being taken to the hospital.
He said, "The explosion involved a petrol tanker which later spread to four houses and four commercial buses which were all burnt.
"The petrol tanker laden with 33,000 litres of PMS somersaulted and caught fire, claiming lives and destroying vehicles and buildings.
"At the end of our assessment of damages caused by the inferno, a total of 54 shops including banks, shops and a total of 12 makeshift shops were razed down."
Also, the General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, said some of the victims were burnt beyond recognition.
He said upon arrival, the agency took stock of what happened and took charge by carrying out emergency and rescue services, adding that an assessment would be carried out to get a comprehensive outlook of the incident.
While commending the seamless collaboration of rescue operators, the Director of Fire Service, Lagos State, Mr Rasak Fadipe, said the fire was brought under control because of the partnership.
He added that three commuter buses, over 30 spare parts shops with goods worth millions of naira were lost in the inferno despite attempts of the fire service.
Counting Losses
Pegging the cost of their loses at millions of naira, the President of Berger Business Community, Mr. Okey Udeagba, said asides loosing such huge amount, they further incurred additional loss yesterday because they could not market their products.
He said: "The traders affected by the inferno lost millions of naira in terms of properties and goods and our loss was further increased due to our inability to open our shops for commercial activities.
"I am dumbfounded at this is a monumental loss. We are pleading with the government and corporate bodies to come to the aid of the traders because just in one incident, we lost about N100million for not selling in a day."
Mrs. Ude Joy said she had lost everything in her shop. Ude who opened shop in the area with her husband years ago said their loss was heart renting as they had borrowed money to stock up their shop on January 2.
She said: "While some people were able to recover some of their property, we were not that lucky because we were not around. We lost everything. We don't know where to start.
Another trader who spoke to THISDAY simply identified as Mr. Onyeka Ononye, said they had lost so much to the fire because of the time frame at which it happened, adding that traders would have salvaged their goods if the fire had occurred during the day.
And Fire Came Calling in January
Barely few days into the year, about three fire incidents have been recorded although none has topped the magnanimity of the Apapa incident.
Tuesday's fire incident came barely a day after another fire outbreak razed down the sawmill market at Ipaja Road, Pako Bus Stop in Lagos.
Although no life was lost because of the time frame at which the fire occurred, THISDAY gathered that goods worth millions of naira went up in flames, leaving the traders in anguish.
Some of the traders who lamented their loss said the fire couldn't have come at a worse time given the fact that their kids would go back to school in January.
According to them, the proceeds of sales made would have enabled them purchase the educational materials needed by their kids as well as pay their school fees.
One of the traders echoed the thoughts of others when he lamented that they had spent so much during the Yuletide period and were hoping to recuperate the money before the fire out the spanner in their wheels.
Also, three houses were last week gutted by an inferno at the Ijesha area of the state, destroying property worth millions of naira but was later put off by emergency responders, including the firemen.
The incident was confirmed by Farinloye, who said although no life was lost, some of the residents sustained varying degrees of injuries.
A Time Bomb in the Waiting
Asides the sea ports that dot Apapa, the densely-populated area is also known to house so many tank farms, an anomaly that has often caused worries to many who insist that the tank farms pose great dangers to residents.
Their fears were further confounded Tuesday when the fuel tanker exploded, thereby raising hues from the residents to the government on the need for government to compel tank farm owners to site their farms in isolated areas that has little or no residential buildings.
The Cost of Fire
With the deluge of fires that characterised last year nationwide, it was not shocking when the Minister of Interior, Mr. Abba Moro, disclosed that the nation loses an estimated N50 billion worth of properties annually to fire disasters.
The minister who had made this disclosure during the fifth National Council on Fire held in Ogun State said one of such measures to battle it was by the recent presentation of the national fire safety code to the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
He had added that the next step was to get the local governments and the state government involved and for them to present it to the national economic council that has in its fold all the governors of the states.
With this fire safety codes in place, he had opined that it would make the fire service effective in saving the national commonwealth.
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